Shoe-upper.



wz'z rzesses I W- F. LAUTENSCHLAGER.

SHOE UPPER.

APPLlCATlON FILED DEC. 4. 1915.

Patented Nov. 27, 1917;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. F. LAUTENSCHLAGEB.

SHOE UPPER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-4. 19w.

Patente& Nov. 27, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- wage...-

pnursn in a p rant "t m 1 it Art rst itwi h r \VILLIAM F. LAUTENSCHLAGER, OE CINCINNATI, OHIO, TO LORENZ IVJIUTHEJEEJ,

' OF NEWTON, MASEACHUSETTS.

SHOE UFPER.

LZdSAilti.

Specification of Letters "Patent.

Application filed December l, 1915. Serial 3330. 65,066.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWVILLIAM F. Lau'rnx- SCHLAGIJR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful ln'iproveinents in Shoelfppers, of which the following is a specification.

In shoe making it is a practice to fold the margins of certaln portions of the flexible shoe upper parts, for instance the edges of the tongues, the inner margins of the foxings, and the upper edges of VHIDPS, the fold of the margin being bent over upon the body of the margin, with a narrow band of cement therebetween extending lengthwise of the margin, for retaining the fold in folded relation during subsequent operations upon the parts.

It has been a further practice heretofore to snip the fold of the margin, that is, pro vide the fold of the margin with (LIKES-ilk cisions extending inwardly toward the body throughout the width of the fold, these cross-incisions being close together for pern'iitting ready folding and smooth laying of the snipped portions of the fold, especially at deep or shallow inside or concavely curved portions of the upper-part.

In certain methods of shoe making these long incisions throughout the width of the fed have extended throughout the lengths of the molds, whereas in other methods parts of the folds, for instance, straight or convexly curved portions, have been allowed to remain unsnipped, while concavely curved portions, whether the curvatures were described with'short or long radii, have been snipped throughout their lengths to a uniform depth extending throughout the width of the fold to the crease at the inner line of the fold.

The result has been that the margins of the upper parts have been materially weakened at points where great strength was required.

It is the object of my invention to provide the fold of the margin of the shoe upper parts at concavely curved portions thereof'described on short radii, that is, concave curves struck from centers close to the margin, with long cross-incisions or Snips to provide for proper spread ng of the tongues resulting from the shipping in order to lay the fold smoothly upon the body of the concavely curved margin curved on a short radius, and to provide the concavely curved portions of the margin of the shoe upper part whose curvatures are described on comparatively long radii, that is, concave curves struck from centers distanced from the margin, with short incisions in the outer edge of the fold of the margin, so that the inner. ends or" said short incisions or snips will be distanced. from the crease of the folded margin, for retaining the strength of the fold of the margin and providing an integral tween its crease and the inner limits of the snips, through which'and the body of the margin seams may be sewed, so that the stitching shall pass through the solid body and the solid unsnipped stretch of the fold, with a solid stretch of the original material in both body and told at both sides of the stitchin The short snipping may extend throughout the long-radius concavely curved portions of the margin only or extend throughout the whole of the margin, whether theclosed margin of a closed vamp or the margin of some other shoe upper part, except at those concavely curved portions thereof which are described on short radii, as desired, the latter portions being provided with the long snips to insure their proper folding.

My invention is especially useful in connection with the vamp of a shoe upper, and I have illustrated the same in connection with such use. i

It has been the practice heretofore to snip the fold of the margin to substantially the full dcpth of the fold uniformly throughout the throat of the vamp, thereby weakening the throat at the point where greatest strength was required, namely at the point where the inside edges of the quarters meet the apex of the throat, necessitating the insertion of 'a reinforce strip between the in ner edge portions of the quarters and the apex portion of the throat of the varnp.

I am enabled to dispense with such reinforce strip in my improved article, and to otherwise avoid the weakening of the shoe upper in portions where it has heretofore been weakened by the snipping mentioned.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows the flesh side of a vamp laid flat and partly broken away, showing usual skiving of the inner margin, and showstretch of the fold being short snipping at the apex-portion of the throat of the vampand long snipping at theshort-radius concavely curved side portions of the throat.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the margin folded. Fig. 3 is a face view of a section of a shoe, showing the portions adjacent to the throat of the vamp.

Fig. 4 is an inside view of the same, partly broken away.

qFig. 5 is a similar view with parts ditl'erently broken away.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification oi the snipping.

Fig. 9 is a view of the same similar to Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 10 shows the flesh side of a circular vamp laid flat and partly broken away, exemplifying my invention.

11 represents a shoe upper part, exemplified as a vamp. 12. 13, represent the quarters of the shoe. The upper margin of the vamp is folded along the crease-line 15. the fold 16 of the margin being folded along said crease-line upon the body 17 of the margin. The margin is usually skived, as shown at 18. The skived portion is usually provided with a narrow band of cement ex-- tending lengthwise oi the margin for holding said margin in folded relation during subsequent operations upon the Y amp in the making of the shoe.

The throat 20 of the vamp is provided with an apex-portion 21, and with curved portions 22. 23, at the sides ot said apexportioii, said curved portions 22, 23, having deep concave curvatures described on short radii, that is, having centers 2t, 25, close to said curved portions. The apex-portion of said throat is shown as having a shallow concave curvature described on a long radius, that is, having a center 26 distanced from said apex-portion.

The short-radii concavely curved portions are provided with long cross-incisions or snips 31 extending throughout substantially the width of the fold 16 of the margin to points approximately at the crease-line 15,

so thatsaid told at said deep concave curves may be laid flat upon the body of the marin, without wrinkling or buckling either the fold or the body. in the form of tongues 32 which spread from each other toward their outer ends. The long cro s-incisions or snips 31, while extending substantially across the width of the fold 16 ot' the margin, should not extend entirely across so as to out the crease-line and thereby affect the appearance of the edge of the vamp when it is embodied in the shoe upper.

snips 3G and 361.

In the pre ent exemplificationthe apex portion of the throat is provided with a shallow concave curvature, the outer edge only of the fold oithe margin thereof being provided with short. cross-incisions or snips 36, leaving a stretch 37 of substantial width extending lengthwise of said shallow concave portion between the crease 15 and theinner ends of said snips 3b uncut as a solid body of seam and avoiding the weakening of the mar gin at said iiiargiiiportion. The improvement provides a short-snipped portion between closely adjacent long-snipped portions of the margin.

It desired. the s raight and convexly curved portions of the margin of the shoe upper part, in fact, all parts of the margin except the short-radius concavely curved portions thereof, inav have the outer edge only of the fold of the margin provided with the short snips. as indicated by the short In my improved article the short snips 36 and 361 extend only into the thin outer edge of the fold of the margin-portions thus snipped, leaving the thicker portion of the fold comprising the flesh-portion in which the strength of the leather is contained,unsnipped.

In the making of the shoe upper the lining 40 is sewed to the quarters by suitable stitching 41. the tongue 42. when employed, being usually sewed to the lining, as by stitching 4.3.

The quarters nd the vamp are sewed together, as by a seam H, the inner edges 46, N. of the quarters being placed edge to edge at the apex of the throat of the vamp crosswise of the upper margin of the vamp, said upper margin and inner edge portions being sewed together by the seam it, which passes through the lower ends of the quarters and the body and uncut stretch 37 of the fold of the margin at the apex-portion of the throat of the vamp, with said body and stretch uncut at each side of the seam.

In practice great strains are exerted upon the apex of the throat of the vamp due to the stretching of the upper-upon the last preparatory to applying the sole, to the foreing apart of said inner edges of the quarters when unlaciiig the shoe, and also to the thrust of the instep of the wearer upon the throat of the vamp.

In my improved article I retain substantially the entire strength of the material at the apex-portion of the throat of the vamp. The seam 44 in practice follows the creaseline 15 of the margin and in my improved article passes through the unsnipped body of the fold and body of. the margin which extend across the meeting line between the inner edges of the quarters, forming a specially strong structure at its point of greatest strain.

I have, in Figs. 8 and 9, illustrated a modification of the snipping in my improved article, wherein the long snips 131 and the short snips 36 and 361, may have snips 316 of gradually vary lengths between them.

Preferably the end of the margin of the upper part first to enter a folding machine provided with a progressive or step-by-step feeding means for the margin, similar to the folding machine shown and described in myapplication Serial No. 634,485, filed June 21, 1911, for example, the end 50 of the margin, is provided with the short snips 361, for aiding in the laying over of the beginning of the fold in true line at right angles to thebody of the margin with the crease-line parallel to the direction of feeding movement.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A flexible shoe upper part prqvided with a skive d margin folded along a c1'easeline and comprising a deep concavely curved portion having its fold at said deep concavely curved portion provided with crosssnips having lengths substantially equal to the width of said fold and an adjoining portion provided with short cross-Snips solely at the outer edge of said fold distanced from said crease-line.

2. A flexible shoe upper part provided with a margin folded along a crease-line and comprising adjacent deep concavely curved portions having their folds provided with cross-Snips having lengths substantially equal to the widths of said folds and an intermediate portion having its fold provided with short cross-snipe solely at the outer edge of its fold distanced. from said crease-line for-providing the fold ofsaid margin between said adjacent deep concavely curved portions with a stretch of solid fold.

3. A flexible shoe upper para provided with a. folded margin, portions whereof are curved with deep concave curvatures, the folds of said portions provided with crosssnips having lengths substantially equal to the width of said fold, and the fold of the balance of said margin provided with short cross-snips solely at the edge of said fold distanced from the crease-line of said folded margin.

4. A vamp of less curvature at the apex portion of the throat than at those portions of the throat at each side of said apex portion, said portions provided with snipping cuts, the snipping cuts of said apex portion being of less length than the snipping cuts of said second-named portions.

5. In a shoe upper, the combination of a vamp provided with a folded margin having deep concavely curved portions at the respective sides of the'throat of said vamp and an intermediate portion, quarters whose inner edges are placed edge to edge and extend crosswise of said intermediate portion, the fold of the throat of said margin being provided with cross-incisions having lengths substantially equal to the width of said fold solely at said deep concavely curved portions, and stitching passing through the continuous stretch of said fold and said quarters between said deep concavely curved portions.

6. In a shoe upper, the combination of a vamp having a folded margin at the throat of said vamp, and quarters, said quarters and said folded margin being sewed together, the inner edges of said quarters meeting at the apex-portion of the throat of said vamp, the fold of said margin at said apex-portion and the curve-portions of said throat at the sides of said apex-portion of said vamp being provided with snips which are longer at said curve-portions than at said apex-portion whereby theseam between said quarters and vamp at said apexportion of said throat has continuous material in said fold and body at both sides thereof.

7. A shoe upper having a folded over edge provided with cross-Snips, said cross-Snips at the deeper curved portions of said-edge being longer than at the straight and slightly curved portions of said edge.

8. Ashoe upper having a folded over edge provided with cross-snipe, said cross-snips at the deeper curved portions of said edge extending substantially across the folded over portions and at the straight and slightly curved portions of said edge extending only partially across the folded over portions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

- WILLIAM F. LAUTENSOHLAGER.

Witnesses:

CONSTANT SOUTHWORTH, THERESA M. SILBER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner ofimtenta, Washington, D. G. 

